Foot operated press



May 19, 1942.-

Q c. A. FISCHER FOOT OPERATED PRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April l 1938 Y INVENTOR CHARLES A. FISCHER ATTORNEY May 19, 1942. c. A. FISCHER Filed April 1, 1958 F001 OERATED PRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG: 3

I NVENTOR CtiARLES A. FISCHER Patented May 19, 1942 warren stares Parser tical movement, and springs M bias the bed to-' 9 Claim.

This invention relates toimprovements in pressing machines and is particularly applicable to machines of the type used in ironing or pressing garments, laundered articles and the like.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel pressing machine operated I wholly by the force which an operator is able to exert. More particularly my improved pressing machine provides coacting head and bed pressing members, one of which is first moved to the pressing position and held there while a powerful pressure is applied to the other member by the operator.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pressing machine in which a pressing head is first moved to a pressing position where it is held and thereafter the pressing bed is moved upwardly against the head by a very powerful leverage extending downwardly in the press frame and operatively connected with a treadle near the floor. My invention thus makes the most efficient use of the space occupied by the press frame to apply a very high pressure, using only such weight as the operator can exert upon the treadle.

Another novel feature of my invention is the arrangement of a pressing machine having two pressing members each movable toward the other, and a lever for applying the weight of the operator for a pressing operation between the members wherein the lever is constructedto hold one of the members in pressing position while exerting a powerful force on the other pressing member.

The variousnovel features of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings and described in the specification and the essential features will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an end elevation of a pressing machine showing one embodiment of my invention, certain of the parts being broken away to more clearly show the structure,the open press position being shown in full lines and the safe closed position being indicated .in dotdash lines; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts in press closed position; while Fig. 3 is a fragmental transverse sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a pressing machine of the scissors type wherein a frame l5 carries a bracket I l in which is mounted a pressing bed l2 for limited vertical movement. In the form shown, pins l3 extend downwardly from the bed. [2 through suitable bores in the bracket H to guide the bed in its verwards its lowermost position. Suitable means is provided extending downwardly from the bed so that pressure maybe exerted to move the bed upwardly. In the present instance this comprises a pressure pin I5 in contact with the bed and extending downwardly for engagement with the operating leverage.

Also mounted in the press frame is a head lever it which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends at IT between apair of upright channels forming the rear portion of the frame ll}. This lever carries at its forward end the pressing head 58 which upon lever oscillation is carried into and out of registering position over the bed'l2 for a pressing operation. A handle l9 serves for the manipulation of the head lever. To oscillate;

the head lever a forwardly breaking toggle 20 is connected between the point 2i at the rear end of the head lever and the pivot 22 at the lower rear portion of the frame. This toggle comprises the upper link 20a which is connected to the head lever by a clevis and an adjustable screw connection 23. The lower toggle link 2% is bi:

furcated and carries a pair of rollers 24 for a purpose presently to be described.- One or more springs 25 bias the head toward open position. A snubber .26 cushions the movement of the head toward open position. A resilient stop 2'! cushions and limits the movement of toggle 29 rearwardly toward straightened position.

For raising the bed into pressure engagement with the head a powerful leverage is provided operable by a treadle in the lower part of the frame. This mechanism comprises a bell crank designated 29a and extends downwardly in the press frame to a point fairly near the floor. Because the bed l2 is supported in a position substantially waist high to the operator standing on the fioor, I am enabled to use a great deal of the vertical height of the frame for the lever 29a so that I obtain a leverage multiplication as betweenthe arm 29a and theshort arm 30-3I having a mechanical advantage of ten or fifteen.

A treadle 3-2 is pivotally mounted at 33 in thelower rear portion of the frame forwardly of the toggle pivot 22. This treadle carries a footengaging portion 32aat its forward end. The operative connection between the treadle and the lever 29a comprises a link 34 connected between the upstanding arm 35 of treadle 32 and the bifurcated lower end of lever 29. The connection with lever 29 comprises a swivel block 36 pivotally mounted in the lever 29 and having a threaded connection at 31. with the link 34. At its other end the link enters a clevis 38 and is held therein by a screw 39 which enters an annular groove 4!] in the link 34. An adjusting knob 4! at the forward end of link 34 serves to rotate the link so as to adjust its position in the swivel block 36. By this adjustment the relationship between bed I2 and head I8 is initially set and may be adjusted from time to time to compensate for changes in padding during the life of a pressing member.

My invention contemplates the use of any suitable means for holding the head in pressing position while the bed is raised into pressure engagement therewith. In the embodiment here disclosed I provide a novel arrangement whereby the treadle 32 holds the head in pressing position while at the same time applying a powerful pressure to the bed. This means comprises an abutment 42 carried by a rearward extension of treadle 32 and formed arcuately about the pivot 33 and adapted after the head reaches the safe closed position indicated in dot-dash lines in Fig 1 to engage beneath and in front of the rollers 24 on the lower toggle link while pressure is being applied to the bed.

Means is provided for normally maintaining the treadle 32 in raised position. As shown in the drawings this comprises a cylindrical member 43 attached to the frame and a piston-like abutment 44 connected by rod 45 to pin 46 on the treadle. A compression spring 47 is engaged between the abutment 44 and the lower end of cylinder 43.

Means is provided to latch the treadle 32 in its lowermost position to hold the press closed. The means here disclosed for this purpose comprises a latch 48 pivoted to the frame at 49 and carrying a hook member 50 adapted to overlie an extension of pin 45 on the treadle in the position shown in Fig. 2. by a spring 5! and is limited in its movements in opposite directions by the stops 52 and 53.

A resilient cushion 54 engages a projection on treadle 32 to limit its downward movement.

It is thought the operation of the press will a now be readily understood. With the parts in the open position of Fig. 1 (full lines) the operator arranges the work to be pressed on the bed l2, then grasps the handle l9 and moves the head to the dot-dash position of Fig. l. Treadle 32 is then depressed and during this movement the arcuate abutment 42 acting against rollers 24 holds the head in pressing position while link 34 acting through lever 29 exerts a powerful pressure upwardly on the bed. The treadle is latched in its lowermost position as shown in Fig.2 so that the press remains closed as long as desired. To release the press latch 48 is depressed by stepping on its forward end, whereupon the parts return to the open position first described.

It will be noted that the power applied at 32a is multiplied approximately four times in the treadle because of the relationship between the short upwardly extending treadle arm 35 and This latch is biased upwardly the long forwardly extending treadle arm. Also as mentioned before, the multiplication in lever 29 is of the nature of ten or fifteen times so that the multiplication of the force applied to the bed is approximately forty to sixty times the pressure applied on the treadle by the operator. To obtain the maximum advantage, when the head is moved to safe closed registering position above the bed I have these pressing members substantially in contact so that a very small movement of the bed I2 in a vertical direction is necessary to apply the final pressure.

It will be noted that the powerful pressure cannot be applied between the bed and head until the press has first reached safe closed position, where the operators hand can no longer be caught between the pressing members. This is due to the fact that the arcuate abutment 42 is not in position to engage the rollers 24 so as to hold the head in pressing position until the parts reach approximately the dot-dash position of Fig. 1.

What I claim is:

1. In a pressing machine, a frame, a head lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said frame, a pressing head carried at one end of said lever, a toggle connected between the other end of said lever. and said frame, a bed mounted in said frame for vertical movement and adapted to coact with said head, a lever pivoted in said.

frame and having arms of different lengths, the shorter of said arms havin an operative connection with said bed for raising the latter into pressure engagement with said head, a treadle having an operative connection with the longer arm of said last named lever adapted to move said last named lever in bed-raising direction upon depression of said treadle, and a part of said treadle being arranged to engage a part of said toggle when said head is in pressing position tohold said head in pressing position during depression of said treadle.

2. In a pressing machine, a frame, a bed mounted in said frame for vertical movement, a head lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said frame, a pressing head carried at the forward end of said lever, a toggle having an upper link connected to the rear end of said lever and having a lower link connected to the lower rear portion of said frame, said toggle breaking forwardly as the press opens, a bed mounted in said frame for vertical movement and adapted to coact with said head, a lever pivoted in said frame and having arms of different lengths, the shorter of said arms having an operative connection with said bed for raising the latter into operative engagement with said head, a treadle having an operative connection with the longer arm of said last named lever adapted to move said last named lever in bedraising direction upon depression of said treadle, and an abutment on said treadle and a follower on said lower toggle link adapted to hold said toggle rearwardly-toward straightened position as said treadle is depressed.

3. In a pressing machine, a frame, a bed mounted in said frame for vertical movement, a head lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said frame, a pressing head carried at the forward end of said lever, a toggle having an upper link connected to the rear end of said lever and having a lower link connected to the lower rear portion of said frame, said toggle breaking forwardly as the press opens, a bed mounted in said frame for vertical movement and adapted to coact with said head, said frame when resting on a floor being adapted to support said bed substantially waist-high to an operator standing on the floor, a bell-crank lever pivoted in said frame and having a short laterally extending arm in operative connection with said bed for raising the latter into pressure engagement with said head, said bell-crank lever having a long arm extending downwardly in said frame to a point near the floor, a treadle having an operative connection with said long arm adapted to move said bell-crank lever in bedraising direction upon depression of said treadle, and an abutment on said treadle and a follower on said lower toggle link adapted to hold said as said treadle is depressed.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said treadle is pivoted to said frame forwardly of said lower toggle link and said abutment is curved concentrically about the treadle pivot and is adapted to hold said toggle short of straightened position during a pressing operation.

5. In a pressing machine, a frame, a head lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said frame, a pressing head carried at one end of said lever, a toggle connected between the other end of said lever and said frame and controlling head movement, a bed mounted in said frame for vertical movement and adapted to coact with said head, a treadle, operative connections between said treadle and said bed for raising the latter into engagement with said head by depression of said treadle, and a part of said treadle being movable by initial depression of said treadle into engagement with said toggle and preventing further toggle movement when said head is in pressing position, to thereby hold said head in pressing position during completion of treadle depression for the production of pressure.

6. In a pressing machine, a frame, coacting head and bed pressing members mounted in said frame each for movement toward the other, a lever pivoted in said frame and having arms of different lengths, the shorter of said arms having an operative connection with said bed for raising the latter into pressure engagement with said head, a treadle having an operative connection with the longer arm of said lever and serving as the sole operating means for moving said lever, said treadle being adapted to move said lever in bed-raising direction upon depression of said treadle, and means effective only after said head is moved into pressing position close to said bed for holding said head fixed relative to said frame and. in said pressing position relative to said bed.

7. In a pressing machine, a frame, a bed toggle rearwardly toward straightened position v mounted for vertical movement in said frame, a

head lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends in said frame, a head carriedby the forward end of said lever and movable by lever oscillation into and out of pressing position adjacent said bed, said frame when resting on the floor being adapted to support said bed substantially waist-high to an operator standing on the floor, a pressure lever having a pivot located in said frame at approximately table height, said pressure lever having arms of different lengths, the shorter of said arms having an operative connection with said bed for raising the latter'into pressing engagement with said head, said pressure lever having a longer arm extending downwardly in said frame to a point near the floor, a treadle having an operative connection with the free end of said longer arm adapted to move said pressure lever in bed-raising direction upon depression of said treadle, and means effectivev between the rear end of said head lever and. said frame for holding said head fixed relative to said frame and in said pressing position during a pressing operation.

8. In a pressing machine, a frame, a bed mounted in said frame for vertical movement, a treadle, means operable by said treadle for raising said bed, a head, a head lever pivotally mounted in said frame and adapted upon oscillation to move said head from open position to pressing position over said bed, an abutment adapted to transmit thrust thereon to said frame, a part operatively connected with said head lever and movable independently of said raising means into engagement with said abutment only after said head reaches pressing position, whereby said part and said abutment when in engagement prevent retrograde movement of said head when said bed is pressed against said head by depression of said treadle.

9. In a pressing machine, a frame, a pair of coacting pressing members supported in said frame each for movement toward and from the other member, means for moving one of said members into pressing position adjacent the other of said members, a single treadle mounted on said frame, said treadle having an operative connection with the other of said members for moving it into pressing engagement with said.

one member, and said treadle having a second operative connection with said one member holding said one member immovable relative to said frame during said pressing engagement, whereby one general movement of a single treadle holds one pressing member immovable and moves the other member into pressing engagement with it.

CHARLES A. FISCHER. 

